Special feature
The Mai-Kai cocktail guide

Okole Maluna Society

The Atomic Grog reviews and rates more than 50 of The Mai-Kai's amazing tropical drinks from the current menu plus reveals many lost classics. Add your comments and ratings, plus check out more than 90 authentic, ancestor and tribute recipes.
• See our list of 99 recipes
UPDATE: Rums of The Mai-Kai
• Lemon Hart 151 returns
• Appleton is new stand-in for Kohala Bay

Latest news
The Atomic Grog exclusive

Thanks to a dedicated group of artists and supporters, The Mai-Kai in Fort Lauderdale has been blessed

Event recaps

‘Boozy’ blog celebrates fifth anniversary
The Atomic Grog celebrated its fifth anniversary on Saturday, April 30, with a cocktail party in The Molokai lounge at The Mai-Kai featuring live instrumental surf music from Skinny Jimmy Stingray, drink specials, giveaways, and more.

RumXP Awards announced at eighth annual spirits fest
Plantation won a festival-best eight RumXP awards for the third year in a row, while Hawaii’s Koloa took home seven.
• The Mai-Kai pre-party and Santeria Rum cocktail recipe
• Miami festival specializes in education, but reminds us that 'rum is fun'

Miami festival boldly explores the next frontier of cane spirits
In 2015, the event was less about the big brands flexing their muscle and more about the boutique labels showing off their innovation and commitment to craft.
• Special cocktail recipe: Mai-Kai Moai

Mixologists take Tiki cocktails to new artistic heights at South Beach Wine & Food Festival

A hometown favorite took home the top prize at The Art of Tiki: A Cocktail Showdown at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival on Feb. 26, while an enthusiastic bar team that traveled more than a thousand miles also came away a winner.
• Reviews, ratings of all the cocktails
• Exclusive photo gallery
Bonus recipes:
Sweet Micky | Pupule Punch
Pain Reliever | Cesar’s Rum Punch
• Photos, review of The Art of Tiki 2015

Hulaween 2015 at The Mai-Kai
The undead get lively
at 7th annual Hulaween party

The living dead came out in full force on Halloween Eve at The Mai-Kai in Fort Lauderdale, filling The Molokai bar with creative costumes and partying to the rockabilly sounds of Slip and the Spinouts for the seventh annual Hulaween.
• See photos and a full recap

Spirits, cocktails

Navy Rum and Black Tot Day
When men were men, and sailors drank Daiquiris
No other spirit has as deep and rich a legacy as rum, best exemplified by the fascinating story of the 300-year history of the daily ration given to members of the British Royal Navy. More than drunken revelry, they should be acknowledged for pioneering the fine craft of blending rums.
New recipe: Atomic Painkiller

National Tequila Day
Spice up your tequila cocktails with fiery gourmet syrups
A great margarita never goes out of style and has been embraced and elevated by the craft cocktail movement, with great results. One tasty sub-genre is the spicy cocktail, typically infused with hot peppers and myriad spices.
Reviews and recipes:
Habanero Lime Margarita | Ghost Host

Tales of the Cocktail
Signature drink packs a wallop, but can it tame a Hurricane inspired by The Mai-Kai?
The official cocktail of 12th annual festival that draws tens of thousands of people to New Orleans is not some highbrow cult classic or trendy new concoction. It's the mighty yet maligned Hurricane.
Reviews and recipes: Hurricane Caesar vs. The Mai-Kai Hurricane

Navy Grog ice cone: Lost art is revived by cocktail enthusiasts
Author and cocktail historian Jeff "Beachbum" Berry solidified his standing as the "Indiana Jones" of Tiki mixology with his first branded product, unearthing a long-lost gadget from the catacombs of mid-century bar culture: Beachbum Berry's Navy Grog Ice Cone Kit.
Related stories
• Jeff Berry proves he’s never too busy to be a 'Beachbum'
• Potions of the Caribbean: Cruise back to the birthplace of Tiki drinks

Review: Ice sphere molds
Home mixologists can get crafty with ice molds, modern cocktails
We put two new products to the test, proving that you don't need to be an ice sculptor to join the craft cocktail bandwagon. Plus: A bonus recipe for a new orginal concoction.

Professor Cocktail's Zombie Horde
Zombies regaining critical mass: Book features 86 deadly recipes
Zombie Horde takes the recipes from some of the world's best bartenders and mixologists from the Zombie's sordid 80-year history and packages them into an easy-read, easy-to-use resource. Our review features recipes, history, analysis, a "Zombie face-off" and more.
• Devotees keep Zombie alive

Need a punch recipe for 200? The Rum Rat Pack has it covered
The experts at The Hukilau's 'Rumposium' showed us how to fill a bowl with 630 ounces of deliciousness (including 240 ounces of rum) with style and flair.

The Atomic Grog recently reached a landmark

Miami mixologist shows how to jazz up your tired old cocktails
Freddy Diaz of AlambiQ Mixology demonstrated a few tricks (and recipes) with exotic liqueurs Cherry Heering and Xante pear liqueur at a cocktail seminar at the 2012 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.

Special event
Altered State Tattoo's 20th anniversary party

Recipes: The Atomic Grog serves up exotic cocktails at artist's birthday bash

The Atomic Grog had the distinct pleasure of serving up cocktails on Aug. 27 for special guests of artist Mike "Pooch" Pucciarelli at the 20th anniversary party for Altered State Tattoo, the South Florida shop that has gained him a worldwide following for his highly creative ink.
Recipes: Altered State Zombie | Mai Ta-IPA

Event recap
The Hukilau, June 8-12, 2016

Villagers celebrate 15th anniversary of the East Coast's longest-running Tiki event at Pier 66, The Mai-Kai

Day-by-day photo recaps
The Atomic Grog's exclusive coverage, featuring photos from more than a dozen photographers, first-person stories, bonus cocktail recipes, plus more!
Day 1: Smuggler's Cove book signing, Pre-Party at The Mai-Kai, The Wreck Bar mermaid show

Facebook photo galleries

Day 2: Tiki Tower Takeover, Tiki Treasures Bazaar and Shag's Skylounge at Pier 66


Day 3: Tiki Road Trip Pool Party, symposiums and High Tide event at Pier 66


Day 4: Bazaar, symposiums and Raiders of the Lost Tiki Culture at Pier 66, Main Event at The Mai-Kai


Day 5: 'Lost cocktails,' Skinny Jimmy Stingray at The Mai-Kai

A look back: The Hukilau history

Tiki Kiliki: 15 years of The Hukilau,
15 years of memories


Video: A look back at The Hukilau’s first 14 years

Tiki culture

10 reasons why you need Sven Kirsten’s new book, Tiki Pop
The third hardcover opus from acclaimed Tiki urban archaeologist Sven Kirsten puts many pop culture historians to shame, exploring in rich and colorful detail the uniquely American phenomenon that permeated fashion, music, eating, drinking, and architecture for decades.

A deep dive into the history of porthole cocktail lounges and their mysterious mermaids

If you've ever wondered about the origins of the porthole lounge, or where you can still find one inhabited by live mermaids, then "Cocktails & Fishtails" was a must-see among The Hukilau's symposiums in 2014.
Past coverage
• Tiki artists salute The Mai-Kai with one-of-a-kind mugs
• PBS stations say aloha to long-awaited documentary
• Massive Shag volcano bowl released
• Mini Mystery Bowl: Scaled-down version of a classic
• 6 ways to celebrate Tiki all year long

Take 5
5 questions with ...

Martin Cate, rum and cocktail maestro
The owner of Smuggler's Cove in San Francisco talks about his favorite drinks, a possible future project and why every city should have a great Tiki bar. Plus, bonus recipes for two of his most acclaimed cocktails.

Jeff 'Beachbum' Berry, Tiki cocktail historian extraordinaire
We caught up with the author in his natural habitat (The Mai-Kai gardens) and got his take on time travel, his new book, and his most loved (and loathed) drinks.

Take 5 in South Florida
• Bar/restaurant pioneer Rodney Mayo
• Mai-Kai General Manager Kern Mattei
• Artist Mike "Pooch" Pucciarelli

Music

South Florida scene: Gold Dust Lounge
Band sets sail on adventurous journey with Lost Sunset
A week after performing a sold-out show at The Mai-Kai during The Hukilau, the eclectic Miami band celebrated the release of the Kickstarter-funded Lost Sunset album.

Dick Dale exclusive interview & photos
Cancer survivor and rock legend: 'I had both feet in the grave'
Rock 'n' roll icon Dick Dale is in the midst of a career resurgence at age 76, despite battling cancer and other serious health issues that would have derailed musicians half his age. Check out our exclusive interview and photos from his 2013 concert in Miami.
• See the interview | Photos
• Related: Laramie Dean/Jimmy Dale concert photos | Laramie Dean interview

In memoriam

About The Atomic Grog
• What is The Atomic Grog?
• Contact us

South Florida news
Restaurant openings, closings

Kapow! replacing Longboards in downtown West Palm Beach
Longboards, the surf-themed restaurant and bar in downtown West Palm Beach, closed unexpectedly after five years of serving up fresh seafood and good vibes to the 500 block of Clematis Street. In its place, the veteran restaurateurs who own the building and neighboring Hullabaloo restaurant plan to open a second location of their successful Asian street-food concept, Kapow!

Tiki news
The Week in Tiki - May 1-31

Recap Tiki Caliente; preview Tiki Kon, Tales of the Cocktail and Tiki Oasis; Tiki bar news and more!
Check out a recap and photos from Tiki Caliente in Palm Springs, plus previews of Tiki Kon in Portland, Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, Tiki Oasis in San Diego, and more events. We have news on South Florida Distillers joining Kreepy Tiki Lounge in an expanded location near Fort Lauderdale’s airport, plus lots more Tiki bar news. Regular features spotlight the godfather of pop surrealism, artist Mark Ryden; Sven Kirsten’s 2010 compilation, The Sound of Tiki; the Palm Springs outpost of the venerable Tonga Hut; plus the Modern Tiki Lounge website. Our featured rum, the inventive Santeria, is included in an Atomic Grog original cocktail, Koko Kahuna.
• Weekly features: Artist | Band/music
Bar | Website | Rum | Cocktail | Events
• The Week in Tiki archive

The Week in Tiki - April 16-30
New Beachbum Berry glassware, 'Sippin' Safari' 10-year anniversary edition; plus event and Tiki bar news
Topping the news is the upcoming 10-year anniversary special edition of Beachbum Berry’s Sippin’ Safari, plus new glassware just released. Upcoming event news includes Tiki by the Sea, Ohana: Luau At The Lake, Tiki Kon, Southern Surf Stomp, and the Surf Guitar 101 Convention. April’s highlights include Miami Rum Festival, The Atomic Grog’s fifth anniversary party at The Mai-Kai, the Bacardi cocktail competition, and many other events. We have Tiki bar news from Chicago’s Lost Lake, San Francisco’s Smuggler’s Cove, plus a new “urban Tiki” concept in Brooklyn. Regular features spotlight San Diego artist Clee Sobieski; mysterious exotica pioneer Korla Pandit; and the influential Chicago location in the defunct Don the Beachcomber restaurant chain. The website of the week is home of the upcoming book Mai-Kai: History & Mystery of the Iconic Tiki Restaurant. Our rum of the week, Ron Diplomático Reserva, is featured in La Guildive by Martin Cate, a cocktail from his new book Smuggler’s Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum and the Cult of Tiki.

More from 2016
• April 1-15: The Hukilau, Tiki Caliente and more upcoming events; Miami fest's award-winning rums; Tiki bar openings and closings
• March 16-31: Lost Lake fire and more Tiki bar news, event previews, Lemon Hart rum returning?
• March 1-15: Trader Vic’s Portland closes, The Hukilau and more event updates
• Feb. 16-29: Rum and Tiki event roundup, new Tiki bars in D.C., S.F., photos and event recaps
• Feb. 1-15: Aloha to 5 new Tiki bars across the U.S., Shag at Modernism Week, Plantation Pineapple rum, plus more
• Jan. 16-31: The Mai-Kai mugs and history book, The Art of Tiki updates, Shag events and art, plus more
• Jan. 1-15: New Tikis to rise at The Mai-Kai, Lost Lake honored, Smuggler's Cove book release, Tiki in SoBe

Special feature
The Year in Tiki 2015

Legends lost, but revival becomes renaissance with new bars, music, art and more
It was a year of both sadness and elation, when some legends were lost but the world of Tiki made great strides. We were bolstered by the fact that a new generation of artists and musicians are taking inspiration from the past and creating an incredible new body of work. And Tiki culture was embraced and celebrated across the country at sold-out events and a whole new wave of bars.

• Aug. 24-Sept. 6: Art icon The Pizz dies, September event previews and news, Tiki returns to South Beach fest


• Aug. 10-23: Tiki Oasis soars to new heights, plus D23 thrills Disney fans, The Hukilau 2016, more summer news
• July 27-Aug. 9: Tiki Oasis blasts off, plus Summer event recaps, more rum and cocktail news
• May 18-25: New Beachbum Berry barware, The Hukilau

• May 11-17: Robert Drasnin, master of exotica, dead at 87

• April 27-May 3: Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto grand opening
• April 20-26: Rum fest invades Miami, S. Fla.’s underwater Easter Island, Shag goes to ‘The Twilight Zone’

• April 6-12: Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows open

Retro culture

Modern Retro Disney World
Enchanted Tiki Room still charms, inspires
Keeping Walt Disney's vision alive since 1971, this landmark theme park attraction received a welcome refurbishment in 2011 that heralded the return of the vintage show that pays tribute to the original Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland.
• Enchanted Tiki Room 50th anniversary

A journey back in time uncovers author's 'Disney side'
My first visit to the Magic Kingdom in Orlando was in 1972, but it wasn't until decades later that events conspired to make me a fan for life.
Retro Disney World
• 30 years of Epcot magic
• Artists shine at 40th birthday party
• Disney World is still cool at 40

Culture & travel

Stretching the limits
of the imagination
The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg is a surreal experience in its own right.
• Mermaids alive, well at Weeki Wachee